Monthly Favorites: Months Three & Four

When it comes to being a new mom, "free time" no longer exists. And if by some amazing miracle you happen to somehow get a couple of minutes to yourself, I doubt researching baby products is on the top of your list. Whenever my son is coming to a new age and needing new products, I heavily rely on my fellow mommy bloggers' recommendations. No need to waste precious 'you time' trying to navigate through the thousands of products out there only to find out they're poor quality or useless. So I decided to do my own monthly favorites posts to help out my fellow mommies!

I will also let you in on any deals or money saving tips with each product!

Monthly Favorites: Months Three & Four by julia-crystal on Polyvore

1.Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper: I bought this because at the time I was reading everywhere that it helped so many babies sleep better and/or longer. If you have been following along with my Myles' Monthly updates, then you know about our struggles with sleep. I spent many sleepless days and nights reading about products that were supposed to help with sleep. I was so desperate that anything that worked for someone else, I tried. Just to name a few I tried: a fan, humidifier, sound machine, sleep suit, swaddlers, nighttime lotion, co-sleeping, crib, bassinet, swing, miracle blanket, rocking, nursing, and formula! But I digress; I'll be honest, I was hoping for a miracle with this one, but I figured it wouldn't work. No, it did not help Myles sleep any better or longer. However, this still makes my list of favorites because for the price it is an awesome portable bassinet. 
How I used it:

• I easily took it to my parents for longer stays/ overnights and also on vacation for Myles to sleep in at the hotel. 
• I used it to keep Myles in a safe place when I took a shower. Until he reached around 6 months, I would just strap him in, give him a few toys, and set him next to the shower. He could be right next to me, but was safe in the sleeper. 
• Sometimes Myles would hang out in there while I made dinner or ate lunch. He was type of baby that always needed to be held, but sometimes I could get him to chill in the sleeper for a bit. 
• He took a few naps in it, usually his last cat nap of the night. And we did use it for nighttime sleep as well. Some nights I would put him in the sleeper instead of his crib because my back was hurting and I couldn't even think of bending over and picking him up out of his crib 26 times again that night.

2. Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow: I got this pillow when I was pregnant. I found it on Walmart's website. I didn't want to spend a lot because I wasn't sure if it would help my sleep, so I opted for a cheaper one. Knowing now how much of a difference the body pillow makes in pregnant sleep and thereafter, I would have splurged and bought a really nice one. The reason this is on my 3 & 4 months favorites is because of our co-sleeping. This pillow worked really well for a bed barricade before Myles could start rolling consistently. One side of the bed was against the wall and the body pillow was on the other side just for added measure. I also used it to lean him on his side for side-laying nursing or when he had a hard time sleeping on his back. You can get so much good use out of this pillow, pregnancy and beyond. 

 3. Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Jumperoo: This jumper was one of the best and most used items we purchased. From months 3-6, Myles loved this thing. Before we ever put him in it, he was a jumper. He really liked to be held standing up on your lap so he could bounce up and down. Of course, when we found out a friend was selling their jumperoo, it was a no-brainer purchase for us! We got so much use out of this, it was well worth the $60 used. It has three different height settings so it grows with your baby. This one is farm themed with so many features to keep your little one occupied and learning for a while. There is a flip book and shape-sorter that plays songs and teaches colors and shapes. It has hanging and pop-up toys for sensory play. And lastly, the seat swivels all the way around! If you're looking for a jumper, I would 100% recommend this one!

4. Colic-Calm Homeopathic Gripe Water: I bought this stuff when Myles was going through an extra fussy phase. I was convinced he was colicky because he would cry every night for hours, with no way to calm him down. He would also have random times throughout the day that he would get upset and nothing would make him stop. By no means was this a miracle 'calmer' but it did seem to help sometimes. It think his colicky-ness came from tummy issues, however I did not like giving him gas drops. I don't know about all the ingredients in the drops, but this gripe water is homeopathic, so it is all natural. I suppose you really can't trust anything, but at least it claims to be natural. 

5. Baby Mickey's Book of Shapes: There is no link for this item because, unfortunately, I couldn't find this book anywhere online for purchase. It's an old, classic Golden Book. Whenever I see these at sales or thrift places, I tend to pick them up because I remember reading them when I was little. They have some really great classic stories. This was Myles' first favorite book. Because of his love of Mickey Mouse, I figured it would be a hit. Whenever we got it out, he would get super excited: smiling, kicking, and squirming around. It also happens to be educational (not that he had the capacity to learn about shapes then, but hey it didn't hurt!)

 6. SwaddleMe Microfleece: This was the first swaddle blanket that Myles liked. I had tried a regular one at about a month old and he wanted nothing to do with it.  I tried about 4 or 5 times then decided it wasn't his thing. Around 3 months old, I randomly gave it another try when I found this swaddler I got at my baby shower. It was getting close to his nap time, so I wrapped him up in it. To my surprise, he didn't cry and actually seemed to like it. I nursed him and laid him in his crib and he slept!!!! It was only 30 minutes, but with his sleeping (or non-sleeping, rather) history, this WAS a miracle. We continued swaddling for naps and also introduced it for nighttime sleep. It helped keep him from flailing all over the place during the 20 nursing sessions he 'needed' throughout the night :)

Lesson learned: babies' preferences change, sometimes even in just the matter of months!

7. Bright Starts Start Your Senses Shake, Rattle and Swim: I got this rattle as a baby shower gift from a friend. It was Myles' first toy that he played with. One day Myles was laying in his Rock 'n Play Sleeper and the rattle was sitting next to him. Out of no where, he was holding it by his chest and shaking it around!! I had been wondering when he was going to start gripping things and was starting to worry about why it wasn't happening, then he goes and shows me his new tricks :) It's perfect for babies just learning how to grip because it has a handle on the end that is shaped for their whole hand to grasp. It also has lots of colors and makes noise when you shake it. 

What are some of your favorite baby items right now and for what age group? I love hearing your recommendations!